4 financial apps worth loading on your smartphone

Your smartphone can be a trusted ally when it comes to money matters. Apps that help you watch your budget, keep tabs on your bills, and even deposit your checks can simplify your finances and keep you from needing to make special trips to the corner ATM or bank.

Consider whether one or more of these apps could lighten the load of managing your personal finances.

1. Mint.com. If you’ve heard of any online finance app at all, it’s almost certainly Mint.com. A leader in budgeting, Mint assembles data from all your financial accounts to create a budget that shows you where your money is going and how you could further bolster your financial strength. Expense categories make it easy to explore what would happen if you spent more on this or cut back on that, and easy-to-read graphs show you what’s left to spend once the bills are paid and your savings goals are met. Since Mint’s made by Intuit, the creator of TurboTax, you can expect security to be top notch. The best part about Mint: It’s free.

2. Check. If you want to be pinged the moment your accounts show a bill that’s due, an account overdraft or any large or unusual purchase, you need Check. Check’s real-time alerts will keep you on your toes. The app’s developers are at the forefront of mobile bill payments, too, so this is the app for you if you prefer mobile solutions.

3. Manilla. Are you ready to get organized? Get Manilla, a free bank account and bill organizer. Manilla keeps tabs on your bills, shows you what’s due and when, and sends you automatic reminders when something is due. Manilla helps you go paperless, too, because it keeps track of all your banking and billing records digitally. Need to look something up or print out a statement for your tax records? Just log in—it’s that easy.

4. PenFed mobile banking app PenFed’s newly redesigned mobile banking app is earning high ratings in both the Apple and Google Play app stores. Use the PenFed mobile app to deposit checks, check balances and account transaction details, check the status of loan or credit card applications, make payments to a PenFed account, transfer funds between accounts, or flag your accounts with a travel alert. Check out our video of what the PenFed mobile app can do for you.

These are just a few of the most popular of today’s personal finance apps. Do you use any of these? Which are your favorites?

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The content found on this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be used as tax or investment advice. PenFed encourages you to seek a professional when making investment or tax decisions.